All the cool kids will be there . . .

Here we are enjoying the Bill Mallonee concert last Sunday night. It's a shame; we have so many photographers in our group and nobody took pictures. John took 3 and I took 2. We have a total of 5!! pictures from that night! This is by far the best one. Sad. Oh, well. I guess it was all about the music that night. Hope you guys had as much fun as we did. See you after Easter.

Two More Bill songs to get you through the weekend

Here's two new songs to get you through the weekend. The first one is apropos of our parenting study...

I Hope You Like Your Name
Here Comes Heartache

Love you guys!

Bill Mallonee Song for Tuesday

Here's your daily Bill Mallonee song. This is another one of my favorites. It's making me wish for summer! Right Click - Save As...

Punk Rock's Dead

Bill Mallonee Song

Here's one of my favorite Bil Mallonee songs to whet your appetite. Right Click on the link and choose Save As...

Nothing Like a Train

Love you guys!

John

Bill Mallonee

OK, for those of you who don't know the guy coming to do the concert next week, I thought I'd give you the inside scoop. You can read about him here.

Or, check out this video of Bill doing a song called "Life on Other Planets"


Finally, for nerdy lyrical people like me, here are the lyrics to one of my favorite songs - this one is about the Dust Bowl:

Resplendent

Written by Bill Mallonee

yeah i remember the dark clouds
raining dust for days on end
blew all the earth out to california
and just left us here with the wind
in desperate times you know everybody's part
but it's your own lines you're like to forget
'til what you were meets what you've now become
grins and says "hey, haven't we met"

lost my firstborn that winter
and my wife on the first day of spring
and so i poured my sweat into the earth
yeah to see what that harvest would bring
and i remember howling fury
just like a plague of locusts
egypt's punishment for sins of pride
is that now what has come over us

how much of this was meant to be
how much the work of the devil
how far can one man's eyes really see
in these days of toil and trouble

honey we're all resplendent
yeah honey we are all thrift store
i'm like a wino with a twenty dollar bill
yeah forever and eternally yours
i can make you promises
if you don't expect too much
yes and i will run the distance
if you'll please please excuse my crutch

how much of this is failing flesh
how much the course of retribution
my my how loudly we plead our innocence
long after we've made our contribution

The Barber Kids. Sick.

The Barber kids are sick. Sam and Laney were up half the night last night puking their guts up. And, as it turns out, Benjamin has chicken pox. Yep - chicken pox.

So, after being elbow deep in regurgitated beef stroganoff at one o'clock in the morning, Janna and I are a little sleepy...

Top 5 Albums of 2007

If I can't think of anything profound or scripturally relevant to post here, I might as well write something. So here are my 5 favorite albums from 2007. No, you won't have heard of most of them. But the links go to their Myspace pages, so check them out if you're so inclined.

5. David Crowder Band - Remedy

I had heard a few tracks from this one long before the album came out, so it was a bit anticlimactic when I finally picked it up. But, their version of "O, for a Thousand Tongues" is cause enough to make this list. The album as a whole isn't nearly as interesting or inventive as their last record, but it's still pretty great.

Favorite tracks: O, For a Thousand Tongues, Everything Glorious

4. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

Fresh off the full-band, hard-rocking live double-disc Kicking Television, Wilco stripped it down and mellowed it out for this one. It took me four or five listens before I really got into it. One of my favorite bands - not my favorite record of theirs, but it's still a good addition to the oeuvre.

Favorite tracks: Impossible Germany, What Light

3. Over the Rhine - The Trumpet Child

Man, oh man, what a good record. This one has one of my two favorite songs of the year - If a Song Could Be President, which, amidst all this talk of caucuses and primaries and platforms, comes across as truly sweet and clear. The best political stuff is never hard-nosed or pointed, and it certainly isn't here. The rest of the album is melodic and beautiful as well.

Favorite tracks: If a Song Could be President, Don't Wait for Tom

2. Sara Groves - Tell Me What You Know

Bought this one for Janna, for her birthday. She's the one from the Nomad documentary that we watched in Life Group a few month ago. This album reminds me of the really early Amy Grant stuff (way before Baby, Baby and the like) - just really fresh and inspiring. My other favorite song of the year is on this one, I Saw What I Saw, which is a statement about her trip to Rwanda and its profound impact on her life and her faith.

Favorite tracks: I Saw What I Saw, When the Saints

1. Okkervil River - The Stage Names

The band with the silly name and the lead singer with a voice that my wife can't stand. I freaking love this album. I loved these guys before this, but this album is my favorite so far. Any band that has the guts to cover (sorta) Sloop John B is ok in my book. Every single track on this album is great. Definitely pop over and listen to some. I can't stop listening to it.

Favorite tracks: Our Life is Not a Movie But Maybe, Savannah Smiles

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Now you guys know what i do with my spare time...


john